UK Patient Receives 'Reconditioned' Lungs in Pioneering Surgery

A British man has been given unusable donor lungs that were 'reconditioned' to make them suitable for use.

Scientists have hailed the pioneering operation as having the potential to address Britain's shortage of donor organs.

James Finlayson, 24, became the first Briton to undergo the transplant, which saw donor lungs repaired with a perfusion technique where an oxygenated solution is pumped over them, reports The Times.

After receiving the lungs from a team in Newcastle, Finlayson was discharged from hospital at the end of last month. The organs were unuseable when donated but were repaired with a perfusion technique, where an oxygenated solution is pumped over them.

Andrew Fisher, the research leader from the Institute of Cellular Medicine at Newcastle, said: "Out of all the transplantable organs from a donor, the lungs are the most susceptible to damage. In the majority of cases it renders them unsuitable for transplantation.

"We are delighted to have been able to perform a successful bilateral lung transplant using donor lungs which had been transformed from unusable organs."

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